A Georgia mayor who left $1 million to Sweet Briar in her will wasn't told the school was about to close

The Commonwealth of Virginia
filed a lawsuit Monday to halt Sweet Briar College's plans to
close, and the state claims the all-women's college kept on
accepting gifts even as it was planning to shut its doors at the
end of the semester.

"By including Sweet Briar in your estate plans, you have made a
significant commitment to future generations of young women and
to all that Sweet Briar can mean in their lives," College
president James Jones said in a note to Tomlinson sent in
February.

Two weeks later Jones announced the school would be closing for
good.

"My husband and I don't have children and I don't have nieces and
nephews and so we have long planned on this being our legacy, our
gift to Sweet Briar College, because we wanted it to go forward
and continue with its great mission of educating women leaders,"
Tomlinson said to Business Insider.

But even after her $1 million gift, Tomlinson says she was never
notified that the college was in financial distress, or that
Sweet Briar had already started the process of closure. She found
out in the same way as everyone else, after President Jones held
an assembly to break the news.

Tomlinson doesn't believe there have been well-organized
fundraising efforts to save the school by the administration,
even though there are many able donors who are willing to step up
with their support.

Sweet Briar sent Business Insider the following statement Monday
afternoon after Virginia announced their lawsuit: "Our legal
counsel has just received the complaint from the Amherst County
Attorney and will respond appropriately after a chance for
careful review and analysis."